Military Duties Recommended, Title page – Preface
MILITARY DUTIES, RECOMMENDED to an ARTILLERY COMPANY; At their ELECTION of OFFICERS, In CHARLS-TOWN, 13. d. 7. m. 1686. By COTTON MATHER, Pastor of a Church in BOSTON.
Ubi nullus est Militarium Virorum ordo et cura, ibi nulli sunt R. P. Nervi. Herodot.
Plus Togae laesere Rem-Publicam quam Loricae. Tertullian.
BOSTON in NEW-ENGLAND, Printed by Richard Pierce: And are to be sold by Ioseph Brunning, at his Shop at the Corner of Prison Lane near the Exhange. 1687.
The preface.
IT was the Observation which judicious Capel began a Preface to a good Book with the mention of, Books are more necessary in a State than Arms. Let it pass for a Conveniency among us in this Scythian Desart, That the Gentlemen who handle Arms may be also presented with Books accommodated unto their Instruction and Encouragement. It is reported of an unparallel'd Souldier, no less an Hero than Julius Caesar, that being forc'd to swim for his life in an extremity, he employ'd one hand to preserve from the damage of the water, certain Books which he had a special value for. Nor is it any Disparagement unto men of a military Disposition or Improvement, that in all ages the most accomplisht of them, have been willing sometimes to make Books the entertainment of their vacant hours: Even a mighty Alexander must have a Book under his pillow, or he cannot sleep. Perhaps it is from somesomething of this Bookish Temper that this poor Sermon preached unto the Artillery of Middlesex, is by some Members of that worthy Company now desired to be printed; that their eyes may dwell upon those things which He who gives favour to them that are not men of Skill made not altogether unacceptable unto their ears. It was a Souldier that found out the happy art of Printing at first; and it seems that Souldiers will now and then press the Press into their Service still.
My Education among Libraries, my Concernment only in such a Warfare as Timothy had recommended unto him, and my impatient Longings for the Revolution of a Golden Age wherein there shall be (as about the Time of our Lords first coming it is noted by the Roman Historian that there was) Totius Orbis aut pax aut pactio, a general Peace or Truce throughout the whole world, have made me the unfittest of all men to read Military Lectures. Aelian's Tacticks shall stand in the R…re of my Authors, and will perhaps be left unstudied by me, till I have nothing else to do. That military mischievous Invention of Guns, and the Nitrous, Sulphureous, Charcoal'd matter which they vo…it, was indeed first hit upon by a Clergy-man, yet one that I never would care to be a kin unto. But a Request from the Honoured Persons, at whose Invitation the ensuing Thoughts have been Spoken and Written, was a strong Summons not to be g…in said by me, who ought to count Opportunities … doing Good among the best of all my Treasures. They asked me to lay before them their Du…yes, as farr as my Armory, the Bible, would inform me what they are: and I have with brief Hints attempted to let them know what those Words of Command are which come unto them back'd with a, Thus saith the LORD. They have also asked me to give them a Copy of those Words for the Publication of them; and I consider'd that this being all, my case was not so hard as that of the Expedition against Sisera, wherein out of Zebulon were engaged they that handled the pen of the Writer, Gown-men became Swordmen, and Pen-knives (as one saith on it) were turned into Swords. But in this thing they had not found me ready to gratify them, if it had not been for the sake of Communicating those Meditations in the Close of the Discourse, which render every man a Souldier, and call upon all to encounter the invisible Enemies of their own souls. This part of the Discourse is no Diversion from the work which my Hand finds to do, however the other may: of this, if I had a voice as loud as the last Trumpet I must say, Let him that hath ears to hear, hear.
Thousands of Praises, whole Ages of praises be given unto a good God, for the Abundance of peace wherein we in this Wilderness do delight our selves. 'Twere well if the blessed leisure which Deus fecit, is given by God unto us, were employ'd unto spiritual Advantages by us all; and particularly by them that have a kindness for the affairs of Souldiery. It would be an incredible benefit to the Church of God, for men to have their houses furnished with Treatises which shall teach them how to Spirituallize the outward occurrents of their Occupations, and set Pulpits, and faithful Preachers for them in every Business that they have to meddle with. I find that the Husband-man, and the Shepherd, and the Mariner, yea, and the Weaver too, are thus provided for, by the ingenious Labours of some heavenly-minded men. A Reverend Person among our selves, has in this way been an Obliging Friend unto the Souldier also; His, Souldiery Spirituallized, well deserves the Perusal of them to whom it is directed, and hath given a just Super-Sedeas unto those Enlargements of that kind here which else might have been endeavoured. That they who will be Souldiers may likewise be serious; That there may be Glory to GOD in the highest, and that there may be Peace on earth, and Good Will among men, is the grand Scope of this little Essay.
MILITARY DUTIES Laid before A TRAINED BAND 13. d. 7. m. 1686.
It is written in PSAL. CXLIV. I. Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teacheth my Hands to war, and my Fingers to fight.
THat elegant Resemblance of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the close of His last Letter from Heaven to the Church on Earth, Rev. 22. 2. A tree of Life which bears twelve manner (a blessed variety) of Fruits, the leaves whereof also are for the healing of the Nations, hath been sometimes not unfitly apply'd unto the Scriptures, those precious Leaves of the Bible, which testify of Him. There is in these Oracles of God, a delicious Entertainment for the innumerable sorts of Readers to whom these presents come; and the Benefit of the Souldier particularly is not left unconsulted in them. The blessed Suitableness of this miraculous Book unto the Affayrs and Concerns of all men, is, to be found (as the Philosopher saith, of the Soul in the Body) in every part thereof; but the Book of Psalms (a Little Bible, as Luther styl'd it) in peculiarwise, is so remarkable on this score, that it was no imprudence in old Ierom to bid his Friend make This his Vade mecum, his constant Companion, it was no folly in the holy Minister of Constantinople being driven out of that City, to take no part of his Treasures but This, which was unto him pro et prae Divitiis, instead of and better than all the Riches of the World; the renouned Basil therefore very rightly recommended it as A Divine Treasure, and the eloquent Chrysostom no less appositely reputed it as, a Panoply for the Christian. From this Panoply, from this well-furnished Armory, give me leave to offer something for the Use of this Armed, and much honoured Auditory. For this cause the name which the Holy Spirit in a certain place (in Col 3. 16.) putteth upon these Psalms is that of spiritual Songs; partly because the Spirits of men are most singularly suited therein: every man may conceive, as Athanasius long ago observed, That they speak de se, in re sua, to his own case directly. Tis to be hoped that the Spirit of the Souldier especially will anon herein meet with what shall not be impertinent unto him.
That inspired person, whoever he were, that marshalled the Psalms into the Method wherein we now enjoy them, seems to have had some respect unto the Affinity of Subjects therein handled, in his doing of it. Hence this Hundred-and-forty-fourth Psalm, with the rest unto the end of our Psalter, is employ'd in that business which we expect at the end of our pilgrimage to be put upon; even The magnifying of the LORD IEHOVAH. The P…nman of this Composure, is by the Title of it, determined to be David, the sweet singer of Israel. Indeed some passages of it are by Him again repeated in both his first and his second Edition of the Eighteenth Psalm; and if the Primitive Christians in their Publique Worship, are reported to have had no common satisfaction when they heard Aliquid Davidicum, any thing of David, sounded among them, tis to be suppos'd, that we shall not therein come behind them. But the Occasion of the Composure is to be variously guessed at, as an un… th…g. Those whom we (upon uncertain grounds) reckon the … Greek T…anslators, or rather Interpreters of the Old Testament, have so inscribed it, A Psalm of David against Goliah; so the Ethiopic likewise, and so the Vulgar Latin. And perhaps David's victory over Goliah, may be one thing referr'd unto in this Song of Zion. I find a Iewish Commentary particularly favouring such a Sentiment. But good old Hilary for one, justly and honestly declames against the foisting in of this clause, where it should not be. Thus much then is all the Conjecture for which we have room left unto us: We may apprehend that the amiable David was now arrived thro an Iliad of Mischiefs and whole Seas of Difficulties, unto a Settlement in his Kingdom over Israel; and that hereupon he now presents unto the Lord, both his Praises for the Vanquishent of the Enemies who had hitherto disquieted him, and his Prayers for the Continuance of his Tranquillity, maugre all future Opposition.
The Rapturous Thanksgivings of the PsalPsalmist begin as soon as was possible; even at the verse now before us. The gracious Saint is here uttering of his Wishes that the great GOD may forever be well-spoken of by all the world, and this on a double account. Something God hath been to him, and something God had done for him.
Firstly, For Something that God was to him. He ascribes to the Lord that Title, my Strength, or (Heb. Tzuri) my Rock. q. d. The Almighty God has afforded a better Defence to me in all dangers than the ragged Rocks and Caves and Thickets did unto my poor Countrey men, before I by slaying the tall Pagan occasion'd the Routing of the Philistines, who had driven them thereinto.
Nextly, For something that God did for him. He celebrates this Kindness of God unto him, He teaches my hands to war and my fingers to Fight. i. e. The good God enables me to go through the Military Performances which I am put upon. These Hands of mine that were once wont to hold the Shepherds Crook, and these Fingers of mine which were wont to solace me with their soft Notes upon my Harp, are now expert in those Martial A…chievments which God hat… bin my Teach…r in. There is a divine Teaching herein acknowledged, and the Twofold Subject of it is taken notice of. The Good man first declares the Subject which received this Teaching: This was his Hands & his Fingers. These are by a Synecd…che put for not only all the Members of his body, but also all the Powers of his mind. These may be singled out, because there is a special Use of these parts in all warly Encounters. There was so particularly, first in Choosing and then in Casting the Stone which laid the Philistean Champion sprawling on the ground. In the Hands also Strength is seated, and Skill is shewed by the Fingers. So both of those Qualifications may herein be glanced at. The good Soul next declares the Subject which this Teaching was Occupy'd about: This was Warring and Fighting. The former Expression [Lakrob] comes from a Root that signifies to Draw near; the Latter [Lammilchama] comes from a Root that signifies to Eat up; because in Warly Engagements, persons first Approach and then Devour one another.
From hence then the Doctrine which Summons our present Attention is